Around College Basketball (non-Big East) 2018/19
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Ray Morgan
Well-known member
Here's a surprise: Three teams from the American Conference in the top 25:
Cincy, Houston and UCF. That's one more than the Big East. They will get in as many teams as the Big East. Surprising and proof that while the Big East had parity, they were less top heavy than ever.
Cincy, Houston and UCF. That's one more than the Big East. They will get in as many teams as the Big East. Surprising and proof that while the Big East had parity, they were less top heavy than ever.
[quote="Ray Morgan" post=328301]Here's a surprise: Three teams from the American Conference in the top 25:
Cincy, Houston and UCF. That's one more than the Big East. They will get in as many teams as the Big East. Surprising and proof that while the Big East had parity, they were less top heavy than ever.[/quote]
and yet many of our posters are always dumping on that conference.
Cincy, Houston and UCF. That's one more than the Big East. They will get in as many teams as the Big East. Surprising and proof that while the Big East had parity, they were less top heavy than ever.[/quote]
and yet many of our posters are always dumping on that conference.
[quote="bamafan" post=328306][quote="Ray Morgan" post=328301]Here's a surprise: Three teams from the American Conference in the top 25:
Cincy, Houston and UCF. That's one more than the Big East. They will get in as many teams as the Big East. Surprising and proof that while the Big East had parity, they were less top heavy than ever.[/quote]
and yet many of our posters are always dumping on that conference.[/quote]
They're still not a great conference. Of the 7 "major" conferences they're usually the worst. This year they're only bailed out by the horrendous Pac 12. They're top heavy and have some very weak teams at the bottom.
Big East has no weak teams. All over 500
Cincy, Houston and UCF. That's one more than the Big East. They will get in as many teams as the Big East. Surprising and proof that while the Big East had parity, they were less top heavy than ever.[/quote]
and yet many of our posters are always dumping on that conference.[/quote]
They're still not a great conference. Of the 7 "major" conferences they're usually the worst. This year they're only bailed out by the horrendous Pac 12. They're top heavy and have some very weak teams at the bottom.
Big East has no weak teams. All over 500
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
SPORTS COLLEGE BASKETBALL
College Basketball’s Perfect Weekend
While college football enshrines its rivalries, college basketball too often leaves their timing and frequency to chance. But change is on the way.
By Rachel Bachman / WALL STREET JOURNAL
March 8, 2019 8:00 a.m.
As the season nears its end, two A-list rivalry games tip off Saturday night. For college basketball, that’s strange.
At 6 p.m. ET, No. 3 North Carolina hosts No. 4 Duke, with the Tar Heels having a chance to clinch at least a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title. At 8 p.m., No. 9 Michigan State hosts No. 7 Michigan. A win by either team would clinch a share of the Big Ten’s regular-season title.
The matchups are striking for their high stakes and their timing. While college football etches its best rivalries in granite, playing them at the same time near the season’s end, college basketball mostly leaves its rivalry games to chance. It’s unusual to have two of the best served up in one night, just before conference tournaments.
For years college basketball has harbored a sprawling, sometimes nonsensical regular season, reserving its attention for the highly popular NCAA tournament. Some strong conference matchups faded when schedules were scrambled by conference expansion.
But college basketball leaders no longer want to settle for a mediocre regular season. They’re adding more conference games and reinforcing rivalries to boost the lead-in to the sport’s crown jewel.
“Everybody’s thinking about how to be more relevant,” said Jamie Zaninovich, Pac-12 deputy commissioner and chief operating officer, and a former member of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee. “The more you can play more relevant programs, probably the better. If you have relevant teams in the league, they fit the bill.”
College football figured this out long ago. Ohio State always plays Michigan in its last regular-season game. Auburn caps its season by playing Alabama. Army and Navy play on the second Saturday in December. Fans can plan their seasons, their years, around these games.
College basketball, on the other hand, has arranged its regular season like a breakfast buffet flung onto the sidewalk: Let’s start off with a few games in the Bahamas! How about some 30-point home blowouts in November against directional schools? Don’t forget the games—maybe great ones—played in half-empty arenas when students are on winter break.
High-profile, end-of-season rivalry games seem to happen largely by chance. One notable exception: Duke-North Carolina, which has been played at the end of the ACC regular season for decades.
In the 10-team Big 12 and Big East, every team plays everyone else in its conference twice. The nation’s other four major basketball conferences—ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC—all have at least 12 teams and rotating schedules in which some teams play others only once a season.
That means that last season, Michigan played Michigan State just once, on Jan. 13, despite the schools being longtime rivals and top-20 contenders. Indiana and Purdue played just once, too. Oregon and Washington played just once in 2016-17 despite being regional rivals.
Recently, though, leagues have been expanding their conference seasons—in some cases bucking coaches fearful of stiffer competition—to create more attractive matchups. The Big Ten expanded to 20 games this season and protected three rivalries to ensure they’ll be played twice a season: Indiana-Purdue, Illinois-Northwestern and Michigan-Michigan State.
A few years ago the Southeastern Conference increased its conference schedule to 18 games and gave each team three permanent rivals. The ACC will increase to a 20-game conference basketball schedule next season, when it launches the ACC Network.
To be sure, adding permanent games to the schedule, especially at specific times, can be a scheduling challenge.
“Every time you lock a piece, it makes the rest of the puzzle harder to put together,” said Paul Brazeau, ACC senior associate commissioner, men’s basketball.
Enshrining rivalries in the schedule carries risks. Pac-12 standard-bearers Arizona and UCLA played only once this season—which turned out fine, since both are having down years. But in general, the Pac-12 and all leagues want more marquee matchups.
“We’re looking at a 20-game schedule, we’re looking at everything,” Zaninovich said.
This season’s first Duke-UNC game showed how eager college basketball fans are for meaningful games.
Viewership of the first Duke-North Carolina game, on Feb. 20, didn’t plummet after Zion Williamson blew out his shoe 30 seconds in and left the game, according to 15-minute incremental Nielsen data. An average audience of nearly 4.5 million tuned in, one of the largest college basketball audiences of the season.
College Basketball’s Perfect Weekend
While college football enshrines its rivalries, college basketball too often leaves their timing and frequency to chance. But change is on the way.
By Rachel Bachman / WALL STREET JOURNAL
March 8, 2019 8:00 a.m.
As the season nears its end, two A-list rivalry games tip off Saturday night. For college basketball, that’s strange.
At 6 p.m. ET, No. 3 North Carolina hosts No. 4 Duke, with the Tar Heels having a chance to clinch at least a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title. At 8 p.m., No. 9 Michigan State hosts No. 7 Michigan. A win by either team would clinch a share of the Big Ten’s regular-season title.
The matchups are striking for their high stakes and their timing. While college football etches its best rivalries in granite, playing them at the same time near the season’s end, college basketball mostly leaves its rivalry games to chance. It’s unusual to have two of the best served up in one night, just before conference tournaments.
For years college basketball has harbored a sprawling, sometimes nonsensical regular season, reserving its attention for the highly popular NCAA tournament. Some strong conference matchups faded when schedules were scrambled by conference expansion.
But college basketball leaders no longer want to settle for a mediocre regular season. They’re adding more conference games and reinforcing rivalries to boost the lead-in to the sport’s crown jewel.
“Everybody’s thinking about how to be more relevant,” said Jamie Zaninovich, Pac-12 deputy commissioner and chief operating officer, and a former member of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee. “The more you can play more relevant programs, probably the better. If you have relevant teams in the league, they fit the bill.”
College football figured this out long ago. Ohio State always plays Michigan in its last regular-season game. Auburn caps its season by playing Alabama. Army and Navy play on the second Saturday in December. Fans can plan their seasons, their years, around these games.
College basketball, on the other hand, has arranged its regular season like a breakfast buffet flung onto the sidewalk: Let’s start off with a few games in the Bahamas! How about some 30-point home blowouts in November against directional schools? Don’t forget the games—maybe great ones—played in half-empty arenas when students are on winter break.
High-profile, end-of-season rivalry games seem to happen largely by chance. One notable exception: Duke-North Carolina, which has been played at the end of the ACC regular season for decades.
In the 10-team Big 12 and Big East, every team plays everyone else in its conference twice. The nation’s other four major basketball conferences—ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC—all have at least 12 teams and rotating schedules in which some teams play others only once a season.
That means that last season, Michigan played Michigan State just once, on Jan. 13, despite the schools being longtime rivals and top-20 contenders. Indiana and Purdue played just once, too. Oregon and Washington played just once in 2016-17 despite being regional rivals.
Recently, though, leagues have been expanding their conference seasons—in some cases bucking coaches fearful of stiffer competition—to create more attractive matchups. The Big Ten expanded to 20 games this season and protected three rivalries to ensure they’ll be played twice a season: Indiana-Purdue, Illinois-Northwestern and Michigan-Michigan State.
A few years ago the Southeastern Conference increased its conference schedule to 18 games and gave each team three permanent rivals. The ACC will increase to a 20-game conference basketball schedule next season, when it launches the ACC Network.
To be sure, adding permanent games to the schedule, especially at specific times, can be a scheduling challenge.
“Every time you lock a piece, it makes the rest of the puzzle harder to put together,” said Paul Brazeau, ACC senior associate commissioner, men’s basketball.
Enshrining rivalries in the schedule carries risks. Pac-12 standard-bearers Arizona and UCLA played only once this season—which turned out fine, since both are having down years. But in general, the Pac-12 and all leagues want more marquee matchups.
“We’re looking at a 20-game schedule, we’re looking at everything,” Zaninovich said.
This season’s first Duke-UNC game showed how eager college basketball fans are for meaningful games.
Viewership of the first Duke-North Carolina game, on Feb. 20, didn’t plummet after Zion Williamson blew out his shoe 30 seconds in and left the game, according to 15-minute incremental Nielsen data. An average audience of nearly 4.5 million tuned in, one of the largest college basketball audiences of the season.
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jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
MarkRedman
Well-known member
[quote="Paultzman" post=328409]Buffalo blowing Bowling Green out of gym, up 18 w 3 minutes left in first half. Legit team![/quote]
Never thought that a SUNY school would ever be nationally ranked
Buffalo appears to be the real deal
Never thought that a SUNY school would ever be nationally ranked
Buffalo appears to be the real deal
I watched Ja Morant play for the first time (had only seen highlights before) last night in his semifinal in the OVC tournament.
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.
He plays against Belmont tonight in the OVC championship. I encourage everyone to tune in. Belmont has this player who is also an nba talent and had 32 points 21 rebounds in their semifinal last night. It should be a heck of a game
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.
He plays against Belmont tonight in the OVC championship. I encourage everyone to tune in. Belmont has this player who is also an nba talent and had 32 points 21 rebounds in their semifinal last night. It should be a heck of a game
[quote="Jack Williams" post=328504]I watched Ja Morant play for the first time (had only seen highlights before) last night in his semifinal in the OVC tournament.
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.
He plays against Belmont tonight in the OVC championship. I encourage everyone to tune in. Belmont has this player who is also an nba talent and had 32 points 21 rebounds in their semifinal last night. It should be a heck of a game[/quote]
And Belmont has a super HC
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.
He plays against Belmont tonight in the OVC championship. I encourage everyone to tune in. Belmont has this player who is also an nba talent and had 32 points 21 rebounds in their semifinal last night. It should be a heck of a game[/quote]
And Belmont has a super HC
[quote="Jack Williams" post=328504]I watched Ja Morant play for the first time (had only seen highlights before) last night in his semifinal in the OVC tournament.
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.
He plays against Belmont tonight in the OVC championship. I encourage everyone to tune in. Belmont has this player who is also an nba talent and had 32 points 21 rebounds in their semifinal last night. It should be a heck of a game[/quote]
Local kid (Sumter, SC).... I first heard about him during the summer going into his senior season of HS. I guess you could call him a "late bloomer" of sorts, as his game and height (he grew a few inches during his senior season in high school) has grown.
I think it'll be a good game tonight against Belmont.
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.
He plays against Belmont tonight in the OVC championship. I encourage everyone to tune in. Belmont has this player who is also an nba talent and had 32 points 21 rebounds in their semifinal last night. It should be a heck of a game[/quote]
Local kid (Sumter, SC).... I first heard about him during the summer going into his senior season of HS. I guess you could call him a "late bloomer" of sorts, as his game and height (he grew a few inches during his senior season in high school) has grown.
I think it'll be a good game tonight against Belmont.
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[quote="L J S A" post=328585][quote="Jack Williams" post=328504]
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.[/quote]
I'm praying they miss out. Barrett will be better than Zion even if Morant doesn't turn out to be.[/quote]
You think so? I have not been impressed with Barrett the times I’ve watched him. I always seem to catch him when he shoots terribly
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.[/quote]
I'm praying they miss out. Barrett will be better than Zion even if Morant doesn't turn out to be.[/quote]
You think so? I have not been impressed with Barrett the times I’ve watched him. I always seem to catch him when he shoots terribly
Ohio Valley was one of the best mid-major conference in college basketball this season. Belmont-Murray State is must watch tonight. I really hope both teams can make the tournament. Belmont probably has the better shot of the two as an at-large. Do NOT sleep on either team when filling out your bracket next week. Both teams are capable of winning multiple games in the dance.
L J S A
Well-known member
[quote="Jack Williams" post=328586][quote="L J S A" post=328585][quote="Jack Williams" post=328504]
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.[/quote]
I'm praying they miss out. Barrett will be better than Zion even if Morant doesn't turn out to be.[/quote]
You think so? I have not been impressed with Barrett the times I’ve watched him. I always seem to catch him when he shoots terribly[/quote]
I absolutely think so. Aside from worrying about Zion's body breaking down prematurely if I'm a GM, I don't think he'll ever be a special rebounder at the pro level. And I don't think he'll ever be the scorer that Barrett will turn out to be.
Plus I'm not 100 percent confident that Zion comes back this season, and if he doesn't, Barrett has a chance to chip away at the distance between the No. 1 and 2 picks.
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.[/quote]
I'm praying they miss out. Barrett will be better than Zion even if Morant doesn't turn out to be.[/quote]
You think so? I have not been impressed with Barrett the times I’ve watched him. I always seem to catch him when he shoots terribly[/quote]
I absolutely think so. Aside from worrying about Zion's body breaking down prematurely if I'm a GM, I don't think he'll ever be a special rebounder at the pro level. And I don't think he'll ever be the scorer that Barrett will turn out to be.
Plus I'm not 100 percent confident that Zion comes back this season, and if he doesn't, Barrett has a chance to chip away at the distance between the No. 1 and 2 picks.
[quote="L J S A" post=328585][quote="Jack Williams" post=328504]
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.[/quote]
I'm praying they miss out. Barrett will be better than Zion even if Morant doesn't turn out to be.[/quote] in typical Knicks fashion they will finish 4th in the lottery and miss out on all 3.
He lives up to the hype. Incredible player. If Knicks miss out on Zion I hope they get him.[/quote]
I'm praying they miss out. Barrett will be better than Zion even if Morant doesn't turn out to be.[/quote] in typical Knicks fashion they will finish 4th in the lottery and miss out on all 3.
[quote="NCJohnnie" post=328846]Meanwhile Texas Tech finished the regular season 26-5 and tied for first in the Big 12 with Tariq having 8 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks in their final win today. I'd say he made a pretty good decision[/quote]
I don't understand how anyone on this board said Owens move was not better for him. I defended it all season and I was right. Tech is a legit Final Four threat and Owens became one of the best defenders in the country.
I don't understand how anyone on this board said Owens move was not better for him. I defended it all season and I was right. Tech is a legit Final Four threat and Owens became one of the best defenders in the country.